Syd Barrett is a genius. Do you know why? Well I'll tell you. He was such an innovative songwriter and guitarist in Pink Floyd. He experimented with distortion, feedback, tapes and other effects for the Pink Floyd sound. He did things no one else ever thought of in the 60s. Only one problem. He was addicted to LSD. He also suffered with Schizophrenia. In March of 1968, Syd departed from Pink Floyd.
After Pink Floyd, Syd began making songs in the recording studio with Pink Floyd's former manager, Peter Jenner. Most of the songs they did in the studio ended up on his first solo debut album, The Madcap Laughs. It took over a year to get back in the studio to record the master tracks, due to Syd's behavior. When he came back in the studio, he was known for having an erratic behavior when recording with the studio musicians. One of the things he did would just strum a chord for a long time before even going back to the main part of the song.
If you never listened to early Pink Floyd albums, I don't think you would enjoy this. But if you have, this is a must have album. It can be a little strange at times but it will eventually connect to you. The songs are very enjoyable and its not overproduced at all. "Octopus", the hit song off the album, is indeed one of Syd's best songs he has ever written. It's a very refreshing psych pop tune that will lead you into the world of Syd Barrett. His sad but beautiful world. Syd Barrett died on July 7th, 2006 but his music will live on forever.
[Buy The Madcap Laughs from Syd Barrett's Official Store]
No comments:
Post a Comment